Escaping the Box | Taylor Swift
- Abby Ollila
- May 13, 2021
- 5 min read
You may hear the name ‘Taylor Swift’ and think of her over saturated pop hits like “Shake It Off”, or surface level breakup songs like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” But these are shallow opinions of the songwriter’s discography, especially considering her new music. In the midst of the pandemic shutdown, Swift collaborated with old partner Jack Antanoff and new partner Aaron Dessner to produce two surprise albums that hold all the depth missing in her past commercial radio hits. Her new music is soft and whimsical, creating a contradictory image of a storytelling fairy Taylor rather than the well known, pop/country idol Taylor. The singer-songwriter has finally turned her talent away from the industry influenced hits to the simple motivation that started her successful 15 year long career; her drive to tell stories that move people.
At the heart of Taylor Swift’s talent, and what ultimately sets her aside from other artists, is her lyricism. In the last year, Swift has managed to reestablish herself as the storyteller of our generation. Upon the release of her twin albums titled folklore and evermore, Swift has showcased her use of imagery, narration, and emotion, exploring the human experience in articulating depth. Swift’s previous albums are known for their themes of love affairs and heartbreak—themes that she hasn’t abandoned in her new music, but has instead amplified in a more mature and diverse way. Rather than writing strictly from personal experience, Swift allows herself to reach outside of the creative box previous labels have put her in. Other themes explored in this new way of storytelling include loss, infidelity, murder, betrayal, childhood nostalgia, depression, and a myriad of ‘what-if’s’. Both folklore and evermore are prime examples of her seemingly natural ability to pinpoint sensory details connecting to emotion and experience. Give her a mere few minutes of listening, and Swift manages to paint portraits of characters in a vivid light worthy of their own hardcover publication.
In particular, her 8th studio album folklore is riddled with varying stories and perspectives. There is a unique savvy in her creation of a teenage love triangle with trilogy songs “betty”, “august”, and “cardigan”, each written from a different character’s perspective of the same story. Lyrics are woven through these songs that create connecting details and notable characterizations, making you feel like you’ve watched a movie in a matter of 15 minutes.
folklore opens with a finger snap worthy track called “the 1”, where Swift captures the feeling of the never ending ‘what if’ that comes with either an unexplored love interest, or a relationship that didn’t last. Her lyrics “And if my wishes came true, it would’ve been you” and “You know the greatest films of all time were never made” showcase that relatability of anyone “digging up the grave another time.”
A prime example of her narrating abilities is seen in the upbeat song titled “the last great american dynasty”, where Swift shares the real-life story of Rebekah Harkness, a “middle class divorcée” who marries the soon to pass heir of Standard Oil, leaving her the grandeur “Holiday House” property of Rhode Island. We learn that this same house was bought by Swift herself, after years of being empty following Harkness’ death. Swift uses this history to create a parallel between herself and Harkness, both single women “having a marvelous time” striking up judgemental disdain from neighbors who disapprove of their outsider liveliness in such a quiet, traditional neighborhood.
Another crowning jewel of this album is the melodic finger-picking “invisible string”, in which Swift uses an old Chinese concept of a gold string attaching two people throughout their lives, like destiny. Swift optimistically recounts her painful (and all too public) romantic past she embarked on before finding her person by singing “Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart / Now I send their babies presents” and “Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven.” In contrast to this heartwarming track, “illicit affairs” goes on about the destruction of infidelity until frustration erupts with the line “Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby / Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me.”
Mere months after the release of folklore, Swift announced the surprise release of her 9th studio album evermore—a continuation of the creative narrative seen in her previous album. Songs include the tear jerker “marjorie”, a song paying homage to Swift’s deceased grandmother Marjorie Finlay; an accomplished opera singer and the inspiration for Swift’s love of music. Swift expressed the regret of taking her short time with her grandmother for granted in lyrics like, “I should’ve asked you questions / Should’ve asked you how to be.” The song even features chill inducing vocals taken from her grandmother’s performances, which Swift plays in the background after singing, “And if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were singing to me now.”
Swift also took inspiration from a book she read by Daphne Du Maurier called “Rebecca”, creating the song “tolerate it”—a narration from a wife giving her all to a husband who does not appreciate her. Some like to imagine the song is a narration of the relationship between Lady Diana and Prince Charles, but of course, all music is up for interpretation.
Another melancholy favorite on the evermore album is “champagne problems”, a song narrated by a woman who has unexpectedly refused a marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend. With lyrics like “what a shame she’s fucked in the head, they said”, the song hints at mental illnesses and the pain of having them overlooked by others as “champagne problems.”
In “cowboy like me”, we are introduced to an unconventional love story between two con artists narrated by the chorus, “You’re a cowboy like me, perched in the dark / Telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear.” With a unique storyline and imagery drawing a listener in, this song will wrap you up in a Bonnie and Clyde style romance that fits the escapist bill of this twin set of albums. We also have country murder ballad “no body, no crime”, a tale of a big shot actress’ return to her hometown in “dorothea” and “‘tis the damn season”, and another beautifully written and heart-tugging tale of infidelity in “ivy.”
With her stronger, older voice, it feels as though Swift has grown into her ultimate destiny as songwriter and artist. Rather than fuel for a diary-like listening, these new albums create an escapism that Swift herself has insinuated as being the beginning of a new songwriting path for the 31 year old’s (hopefully not too short) future as an artist. The good news is that she has 34 songs between these two albums for you to delve into the magic yourself.
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